


Capture Me

by Vinnocent



Series: Teen Titans: Morph! [12]
Category: Animorphs - Katherine A. Applegate, DCU, Teen Titans (Animated Series)
Genre: Blood and Gore, Book 6: The Capture, Consent Issues, Episode: s01e06 Nevermore, F/M, Gun Violence, Implied/Referenced Torture, Multi, fantastic genocide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-28
Updated: 2014-04-28
Packaged: 2018-01-21 04:17:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1537235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vinnocent/pseuds/Vinnocent
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Raven believes that a Yeerk could give her ultimate control over her self, and asks Phyzzon's help. Uncertainly, Phyzzon approaches Rachel about Sharing activities and gets roped into spying on a major meeting regarding the takeover of a local hospital. When both teams attack the hospital, things quickly get disastrous.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

<This is a bad idea,> Phyzzon groused.

Starfire pulled her knees up to her chin. “Please understand, Raven. Phyzzon has not met any of his people in a great many years, and now he fights them. He cannot provide what you are asking.”

<That is _not_ why it is a bad idea,> Phyzzon objected. Then, <Not all of why.>

“I know,” said Raven. “I know. It’s just…” She shifted nervously on Starfire’s flat, hard, purple bed. “You know what an issue control is for me…”

<Is that a pun?>

“I just thought, you know, if I had a… a friend like yours,” Raven continued, blushing and looking away. “Well, maybe it wouldn’t be so hard. Maybe I could feel normal.”

“Raven, a Yeerk will not cause you to feel normal,” said Starfire.

<Thanks,> Phyzzon retorted. Starfire could tell through their connection, however, that he wasn't genuinely insulted.

“That feeling...” Starfire clarified. "It must come from somewhere else, I think."

Raven looked out the window. “I just don’t want to be afraid anymore.”

“Raven, what do you think will happen if you are not in control?” asked Phyzzon, speaking with Starfire’s lips. “So what if your powers mess up? Accidents happen. It is not a world-ending event.”

Raven didn’t look at him.

“This is not something you can simply try out,” said Phyzzon. “Another time, another place… Another culture… perhaps? As it is, the second that Yeerk enters your mind, they know everything. If they are not on our side, you will be forced to endure a three days starvation period as we murder your Yeerk, and the fugue will not be kind to you, either. If you do not favor the Yeerk, then they will have to be killed or housed privately where they cannot share our secrets. Some Yeerks would rather be dead than cut off from social interaction. You and your Yeerk may disagree on the use of your body. Especially if they come from a shipboard pool. Even more so if they were born on a Mothership.

“It may take time for your friends to learn to tell the difference between you and the Yeerk, and some will fail altogether. People who know that you have a Yeerk companion will treat you differently, even while claiming otherwise. People who find out about the Yeerk companion after the decision is made will feel betrayed, no matter how reasonable your decision in not informing them. You will find that you resent people who do not know and assume you are without one,” said Phyzzon. “I wish for you to think about all of these things before you make any decision.”

“I will.” Raven finally turned from the window to face him. “Can I ask you something, Phyzzon?”

He watched her carefully. Despite the heart-to-heart between the three of them during the Puppet Master catastrophe, a lot had been kept to themselves, especially for Phyzzon and, he suspected, for Raven. While they’d gotten along since the revelation of his existence, he did not consider them close, and largely kept to himself when she and Starfire were together. At last, he said, “You may.”

“Why don’t you want me to have a Yeerk?” she asked. She gripped her arms as though she was cold despite the fact that the temperature of the room was carefully regulated. “I can tell there’s something else. Something wrong, specifically, with me.”

“Starfire does not respect my opinion on the matter,” Phyzzon said carefully. “She believes I am being rude.”

“You wouldn’t be the first friend who was ever rude to me,” Raven said quietly.

<Koriand’r, what should I do?> he asked. <She is your friend.>

<But she just said that you were her friend, too,> said Starfire. <I know what I want to say and how I feel. But what you say, when she asks you, is up to you.>

Phyzzon sighed heavily and carefully considered his words. “Raven, I… well, I am afraid I did not enjoy the presence of your mind. I cannot quantify this reaction into any reasonable claim. I cannot explain it. I can only say that I did not like it, and the idea of recruiting another Yeerk for a mind I do not feel comfortable in unsettles me.

“But… Starfire thinks that it might be me. Not you.” Starfire’s face had a sort of blank look as Phyzzon gathered his thoughts. “Before the rebellion, things were different. Each Gedd host was shared. The symbiosis was communal. But there was an idea seeded… I remember one of the first things he asked me was… was ‘How do you decide who owns which Gedd?’”

Phyzzon shrugged. “Things are different now. The overall system is more akin to slavery. Even with genuine companions, the relationship is more… exclusive. More akin to what you would call ‘best friends’ or..." He glanced aside, and Raven thought there might be a small blush from either of them. "Or even something deeper."

Phyzzon looked down at Starfire's hands. "The truth is that this has changed for me as well. So, Starfire is correct. It is entirely possible that I did not like you simply because you were not Starfire. It is possible that another Yeerk would feel differently. And yet my hesitation remains.”

Raven nodded. “Thank you for being honest with me. I appreciate it.” She turned and stood from the bed. “I’ll think over what you told me,” she said, pulling her hood back up. Soon, Phyzzon and Starfire were alone again.

<Now, I am feeling the boredom again,> Starfire complained.

<We could do work,> Phyzzon suggested. <You could check on one of your friends. I could replay one of your holiday memories.>

Starfire smiled. <That sounds nice,> she thought. But then, she sat up. <Work and talk to friends! I know what I can do for Raven!>

<I see your idea,> said Phyzzon. <I do not like it.>

\-- --

“Are you busy?”

“AAGH!” Rachel fell out of her chair when she spun to face her intruder, which appeared to some girl she didn’t know but who was wearing Starfire’s holographic gem. She scowled up at her. “Don’t you people know how to use doors?”

“Rachel? Are you okay?” her mother called up as Starfire climbed inside the window and shut it behind her.

“Fine, Mom! I just fell!” Rachel called down. She looked at Starfire suspiciously. “Are you Yeerked right now?”

“No. Phyzzon thought that you would be feeling more comfort if he stayed at home,” Starfire explained.

“Yeah?" said Rachel. "Where do you even put something like that?”

Starfire frowned and crossed her arms determinedly. “You will have to excuse me if I refuse to tell you. And he is not a ‘something;’ he is a person.”

Rachel snorted. “He’s a slug.”

“Tell me," Starfire said, "the slugs here on earth… Do you deem them worthy to war against?”

Rachel gaped at her. “What? No! They’re just slugs!”

“Exactly. You war against _people_ ,” said Starfire. “I can understand why their biology discomforts you, but that does not make them less of a person.”

Rachel rolled her eyes and stood. “Great, is this part of your whole gimmick to get us to stop killing them?”

Starfire frowned and looked toward the window. “It is the directive of the Justice League and the Teen Titans that what is called 'lawful justice' should _always_ be the goal of heroism. It is insisted that heroes should apprehend the criminals and bring them to the authoritative persons. Taking justice into one’s own hands is… not approved.”

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed,” Rachel snarled, “but we don’t _have_ authorities anymore. Not safe ones.”

Starfire bowed her head. “I have noticed.” She looked at Rachel a bit guiltily. “And I am prepared. We are both prepared. But my friends… I know what is to become of them, but I hate to see it. I would bear all the burdens of bloodshed if I could and allow them to remain perfect heroes, naive of moral sacrifice.”

Then it was Rachel's turn to look away. “Why are you here?”

“Believe it or not,” Starfire said, spreading her arms, “I did not come here to argue with  you. I came to make a request of you for help.”

That had her attention. “Help? From us? For you? I thought you wanted to be our mentors or something.”

Starfire smirked. “Alliance is a dual-direction transport route, is it not?”

“Uh…”

“It seems, based on what Jake said at the beach, that you all already know the Sharing well. Better than us, perhaps,” said Starfire. “Our only hint at the organization came from conversations with Supergirl and our investigation of the Chapman. And now… well…”

Rachel hesitated, looking her over carefully. “Starfire… What happened to Supergirl? On the Mothership?”

“Kryptonians are charged by solar radiation. I obtain my abilities from light,” she explained. “That is not a perfect conversion, but it was enough to depower her and leave her in the water. I left immediately.”

Rachel blinked. “So it’s possible she’s dead?”

Starfire glanced at the window again. “She was my friend. It was her choice to depower as much as it was my choice to take the opportunity. She trusted me to do what was right.” She turned back to Rachel. “You and your friends are right, Rachel. Phyzzon and I cannot make enemies of the Yeerks. But we _can_ make enemies of the Yeerk Empire.”

Rachel narrowed her eyes, uncertain what to make of these revelations. “What do you want from us?”

“The Sharing. You have an in, don’t you?” said Starfire. “I want to know what you know. I want to be able to put eyes on them, such as we did with the Chapmans.”

Rachel raised an eyebrow. “Eyes?”

“Robots," Starfire explained. "Spy equipment.”

“That’s creepy,” said Rachel. “Useful, but creepy.”

Starfire spread her hands pleadingly. “Will you help in this endeavor?”

Rachel frowned. “We did sort of have a plan… Backup might be nice… I’ll talk to the others. Let you know.”

Starfire nodded. “Thank you! Thank you, very much!” she said. She turned back to the window, climbed onto the ledge and dropped smoothly out. A little too smoothly. Anyone watching would have suspected super powers.

Rachel sighed and collapsed back into her chair. And the Titans thought _they_ were the amateurs.


	2. Chapter 2

<I feel it necessary to ask, again, Prince Jake, if you are absolutely certain that Rachel’s idea is a good one,> Ax griped once everyone was in their roach morphs.

<Ax, we _really_ need the cover inside, > Jake retorted.

<Look, Ax, I’m not any happier about it than you,> said Rachel, <but we really could use the help tonight.>

“I can _hear_ you,” Phyzzon growled as he continued to fiddle with Raven’s hologram. Thankfully, he’d already programmed a “normal” form for Starfire. He’d snatched Raven’s holo-gem from Cyborg’s work area, a predecessor to Starfire’s gem that Cyborg wouldn’t notice missing. Unfortunately, he was having difficulty with the tech, despite the fact that he could usually dissect human tech fairly easily. He was no engineer, but he always made certain to learn enough to be able to make use of most battlefield tech he might encounter.

<I know,> came Aximili’s reply, and the look Phyzzon darted toward the roaches clambering over the stairs was dangerous, but Starfire quickly reminded him that they needed to remain friends and that the Animorphs couldn’t see his expression anyway.

Phyzzon dropped the necklace over Raven’s head. “Try it now. We must hurry.”

Raven fiddled with the gem a moment before successfully turning it on. She looked like any other teenager in the area. Raven looked down at herself and frowned slightly. “A pink tank top and short shorts?” she groaned.

“You want to wear a leotard?” he asked, then shrugged. “Anyway, it seemed the most un-Raven-like outfit we could produce.”

Raven didn’t seem to believe him. “It looks like something you would wear,” she said with narrowed eyes.

Phyzzon just grinned back at her and tried not to think about how much Robin was going to yell at the three of them later.

Carefully, the two stepped past the scrambling roaches, and out into the alley. Glancing around, Phyzzon was able to spot Tobias perched on a telephone pole, and then he quickly looked away. Tobias, however, had seen him looking. <If you do anything to hurt or endanger them,> Tobias warned privately, <I’ll claw your eyes out.>

Phyzzon grinned and saluted with their left hand before leading Raven up the alley to the street. “Are you certain about this?” Raven whispered.

“You are the one who desires to know them,” Phyzzon said carefully, in case the Animorphs were listening. He slowed his pace so there’d be plenty of time to finish this conversation before meeting with the guard. “We must start somewhere.”

“That guard looks ready for a fight, though,” Raven said, uncertainly. If they were forced to fight tonight, they’d immediately be revealed.

Phyzzon giggled. “Raven, that is nearly a grub. Look at the standing position. Here, watch.”

As they approached the guard, Phyzzon donned a more serious expression and resolutely ignored the guard’s presence. Instead, he reached past him to grab the doorknob. The guard quickly grabbed Starfire’s wrist, making Raven tense and shift into a subtle battle stance. “No one goes in there without identification,” he snarled at them.

“Are you saying that you can’t recognize the host of a superior officer?” Phyzzon hissed.

“I－”

“I am Subvisser Twelve, operating under the direct authority of Visser One in supervising this activity,” Phyzzon claimed. “Would you stand against _her_ orders?”

The guard struggled with this new information uncertainly. “But… Subvisser Twelve is assigned to Gordanian infiltration.”

“The old one was,” Phyzzon hissed. “Surely, you know what happened to _him_?”

The guard shook his head.

Phyzzon shrugged noncommittally. “Perhaps he was reported for incompetence to Visser Three.” He shot the guard a meaningful glare.

The guard’s eyes flew wide open, and immediately he wrenched the door open for Phyzzon, who thanked him politely and pulled Raven quickly inside. Phyzzon stopped promptly in his tracks, then pulled Raven immediately into the seated group of Controllers before Superman’s gaze could fall on them. He doubted Superman was going to look to closely at a couple Controllers slipping last-minute into a crowd.

“The day is here at last,” said Superman. “We are making great strides in our invasion of this planet. Soon, their so-called heroes won’t be able to stop our forces.”

Phyzzon sank deeper into his seat, humiliation churning their shared stomach. This wasn’t what he wanted. They weren’t supposed to be like this. A poor impression of the Andalite military, laying waste to innumerable lives. Not for the first time, he looked back on that first incident and wondered if he would still make the same choices over again.

Starfire almost jerked when cockroaches poured out of a nearby crack in the wall, but Phyzzon forced her to remain as still as everyone else there. (And forced himself not to roll his eyes at the ineptitude of the Animorphs. They were lucky so rapt attention was being paid to Superman.)

<Hey, guys, can you hear me? It’s Tobias. Someone must have replied because Tobias then continued, <There's a car pulling up outside here. A limo. And there are two other cars with it, full of very tough-looking dudes.>

Phyzzon glanced at Raven, who looked confused. Phyzzon rolled their eyes and mouthed, “Who do you think?”

<Getting out, now,> Tobias continued. <Like six guys. They have guns! I can see them under their coats. Now there's a guy getting out of the back of the limo.>

Phyzzon glanced around for an escape, but it would gain attention to leave now. They’d have to wait it out and hope they weren’t noticed.

<He's a human. He staggered a little, walking toward the door. He looks like a normal guy, but all the others are acting very nervous. And… I know this sounds dumb, but I get a bad feeling from this guy.>

Phyzzon relinquished a small amount of control over Starfire’s brain in order to keep from groaning out loud, but that only resulted in Starfire blushing in embarrassment over the Animorphs’ total lack of tactics. Ravens shot him a worried look.

"My brothers-in-arms," said Superman, "I present to you, our leader. Visser Three," and a gasp arose from the group.

The cockroaches scrambled out of the way as the man entered. Whoever Visser Three had acquired wasn’t unattractive and gave the same air of authority, might, and power that Starfire recognized in Earth’s heroes. In fact, once they were in proximity to each other, she realized that Visser Three’s human morph and Superman both had the same jawline. Starfire and Phyzzon both silently swore in their native tongues.

"I see that some of you are surprised," said Visser Three. "Surely you must know that I can morph humanoid, as well as any other body?" Despite his words, he was smirking gleefully, and Phyzzon wanted to slice that grin off his face. After looking over the crowd, he continued, "This mission has two parts. One, we will use the front hospital to take involuntary hosts. I expect to be able to make two hundred new Controllers per Earth month. We will concentrate on police, broadcasters, writers, teachers, people in finance, and especially anyone in a position of political power."

Starfire’s hand flew to her mouth with gasp. The Controller on their left glanced at her, and she forced a broad grin. “Yay!” she whispered back to the Controller.

Raven covered her face with her hand. She peaked between her fingers at the main stage where Visser Three stood next to Superman and a smattering of other Human-Controllers.

"You have done well recruiting human doctors and nurses, so that we now control the hospital facility. But this brings me to the second part of the mission," Visser Three said. "Until now this secret was known only to me and a very small group. The second part of my plan is even more important than the first. In a few days, the governor of this state will have some minor surgery performed. His secretary is one of us, and she has steered him to our facility. He will check in for the minor surgery. When he checks out… he will belong to us.”

A young boy stepped forward. He was white, with dark brown hair and eyes and a light amount of muscle in an amount that didn’t really stand out to someone used to the physiques of heroes. He was maybe Cyborg’s age and almost as tall. And he looked a lot like Jake.

Phyzzon glanced toward the roaches, but they’d already started moving out, apparently figuring they’d heard enough.

“Temrash two-five-two has been the orchestrator of this plot,” Visser Three continued, gesturing to the boy. “For such incredible success, he is tonight being rewarded. It is Temrash who shall receive the governor as host and be promoted to the new position of Temrash one-one-four.”

“What?” Phyzzon hissed. “That’s not how our names work.”

Raven quickly hushed him, but he’d already gained the attention of their neighbor on the left, who chuckled. “Wow, how old are you?” the Controller teased.

Phyzzon narrowed their eyes. “Nine point four cycles. You?”

The Controller’s eyes widened. “Whoa, really?” he whispered, amazed.

“Really,” Phyzzon drawled, but Raven desperately pulled on his arm to bring him back to attention. That’s when they heard it. The sound of a foot slamming down, just two rows away from them. Frozen and holding their breaths in fear, both turned their eyes toward the sound.

Visser Three looked out over the crowd angrily, and someone spoke up. "Visser! Forgive my interruption. But there are several small insects here!"

Phyzzon and Raven exchanged glances.

"Don't worry, they are only cockroaches,” someone else said. “They are everywhere on this planet."

"Fool!" Visser Three exploded. "Do you think Andalites cannot morph creatures so small? Someone kill this fool for me."

And they did. Someone shot the Controller who’d said it was nothing, right in front of everyone. With a gun.

Phyzzon sank Starfire’s fingers into the seat of their chair and glared straight ahead, breathing evenly. Raven had closed her eyes and honestly looked sort of peaceful. Phyzzon realized that she must have dropped into meditation to save herself from her emotions. Anyone who could meditate after gunfire should be respected.

The body dropped. "Kill those insects!" Visser Three screamed, and suddenly the room was in chaos. The moment the guard entered to help, Phyzzon pulled Raven out the door. They turned to make a run for it, but ran right into a young boy. He looked the Animorphs’ age. Could even be a classmate of theirs.

The boy grabbed their arms with cold hands, and pulled lightly. “Come on!” he insisted, nodding toward a different direction. “This way!”

With no other choice, they followed the boy to the back of the building they’d just left, where they went in a back door, hurried down a hall, and found themselves hiding in a bathroom. “Why here?” Starfire asked confused.

The boy grinned up at her. “When Superman starts looking for deserters to punish, he won’t look at this building,” he explained. “We can hide here for a few hours, and no one will notice.” He paused, then looked around. “So long as they don’t need the toilet,” he admitted.

Phyzzon was never more grateful not to be a morpher.

“Can I ask?” said the boy, looking at Starfire but pointing to Raven. “Why did you bring her?”

Phyzzon and Raven both flustered at that. “What do you mean?” Raven demanded.

“You obviously don’t have a Yeerk,” said the boy. He put up his hands at Phyzzon’s glare, grinning nervously. “Hey! I’m not going to tell anyone! We’re not all like the ones in there.”

Phyzzon blinked in surprise. Starfire’s chest ached. Could it be? His people were not entirely lost to this… this monstrosity of an empire? <Be careful, my friend,> Starfire warned. <It is suspicious that this boy offers exactly what you are wanting.>

“You didn’t want to participate in Andalite-smashing,” the boy pointed out. “Your distaste of Visser Three and this hospital plan is obvious. You were obviously horrified by the fact that a small mistake was punished with death. It doesn’t seem like a big risk to guess that you’re good people.”

Phyzzon was glaring through narrowed eyes again. “Doesn’t seem,” he repeated, noncommittally.

The boy glanced to Raven. “And yet, you brought her. You lied to do so, taking attention off of her, and making it seem like she was already a Controller. Which, to me, seems like either you were spying…” The boy seemed not to notice and shadows crept up around Raven and her hologram briefly flickered. “... or you wanted to give her an out, just in case she changed her mind about becoming one.”

“What would you say if it was the latter?” Raven asked flatly.

The boy smiled up at her. “Then, I’d say The Sharing is the last place you want to make friends. If you haven’t changed your mind -- which would be totally understandable, by the way! -- Then, you should let me introduce you to the Yeerk Peace Movement.”

Phyzzon was taken aback. “Peace Movement?” both he and Starfire repeated, disbelieving.

“Our goal is to consensually negotiate the unison of people seeking companionship or neural aid with kind Yeerks who will respect the host’s ultimate autonomy,” said the boy.

Phyzzon and Raven exchanged glances.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case it's not clear, that's Erek.


	3. Chapter 3

Another clay pigeon exploded, out over the bay that surrounded the Titans Tower.

And another.

And another.

“You know we don’t get a new shipment of those until Tuesday,” said Robin, and Phyzzon briefly hesitated. But the randomized shooter fired off another clay pigeon, and Phyzzon promptly shot it down.

“Do you have plans for these?” Phyzzon asked icily.

“Well, if you were training, I’d suggest spacing it out a bit. Maybe adding in some other exercises,” said Robin. “But I get the idea that you’re not training.”

Another clay pigeon shattered with the impact of a Star Bolt. “Are I not?” said Phyzzon.

“Mm,” said Robin, perching patiently on a nearby boulder. “Odd, how you can risk your and Raven’s lives and well-being, this team, this war… but you’re the one who gets to be mad.”

Another clay pigeon launched into the air, but Phyzzon ignored it, instead lower Starfire’s hands to their side. Finally, he turned stiffly to Robin.

“Is Starfire present for this?” Robin asked.

“She is asleep,” Phyzzon admitted. “Tamaraneans have longer sleep cycles, and it seemed like a good time to work out my stress.”

Robin nodded. “Then, I trust you to relay this message.” He stood again and put his hands on his waist. He was still small enough that the stance wouldn’t really be that intimidating were it not for the fact that Phyzzon had seen him fight before. Robin continued, “When Starfire approached the Animorphs alone, a group that has made known that they have no qualms about _killing you_ , she endangered you, a member of this team. When you, Starfire, and Raven snuck off to that meeting alone, you both endangered yourselves, her, and this team. When you bluffed your way in, when you spoke to the other Controllers…” Robin threw up his arms in frustration. “I can’t even begin to quantify the risk in that.”

Phyzzon bowed their head. “I am sorry that I poorly evaluated the risk involved, placed this team in danger, and made unwise sacrifices.”

Robin raised an eyebrow. “That was very specifically worded.”

Phyzzon nodded. “It was.”

“There a reason for that?”

Phyzzon watched Robin carefully. Then, coolly, he said, “Tell me, Robin, if I had taken Raven’s wishes directly to you as soon as we’d had our discussion, what would you have done?”

“I would have been against it,” Robin said.

Phyzzon shrugged and started walking back to the randomized shooter controls to turn it off. “Then I’m not sorry for that.”

“Excuse me?” Robin demanded, storming after him. “According to Raven, you yourself listed all the reasons why it was a bad idea for her to get a Yeerk right now. And they were all right, by the way. Don’t make this out like it’s about me not liking Yeerks. You _knew_ it was a cruddy idea, and yet you went ahead with it. Why? What’s going on with you? Are you lonely or something?”

Phyzzon twitched and accidentally broke the handle off the control level. He spun back to Robin and threw the handle to the ground angrily. “Yes, Robin, I am lonely. Is it so wrong for me to like the idea of not being completely alone?”

Robin gaped at him, confused. “Completely alone?” he repeated. “I thought… I thought that we were…”

Phyzzon laughed bitterly. “I was born in a pool of _thousands_. You think your piddly little team is enough to satisfy me?” he demanded. “It’s not even enough to satisfy her! You’re not a family; you’re a puddle in the desert.”

When the device fired again, Phyzzon angrily kicked a hole into it. The box sparked, smoked, and finally died. Phyzzon watched it for a moment, breathing deeply. Finally, he said, “I am sorry.” He sat on the ground, pulling Starfire’s knees to her chest and enfolding their head in her arms. “This is not what I wanted,” he groaned morosely.

After a moment, Robin sat next to him. “There’s a saying,” he said quietly. “‘To err is human.’ Sometimes, we mess up. What’s important is recognizing that we did and not doing it again.”

Phyzzon gave him a sidelong look through the crook in Starfire’s arms. “I am not human,” he said.

Robin just smirked in return. “Have you tried it?” he teased. “Who knows? You might like it.”

“It sounds uncomfortable,” said Phyzzon, and Robin laughed loudly. A small smirk played at the edge of Starfire’s lips.

－ －

“Guys?” ~~Cyborg~~ Cyberion said over their comlink as ~~Robin~~ Nightwing and ~~Beast Boy~~ Changeling wound their way through the hospital’s halls, disguised by Starfire and Raven’s “regular human girl” holograms. They weren’t great matches, but they weren’t going to be using them again past this mission. It had taken enough effort to plot out the mission; they hadn’t had time for all new holograms. Besides, it had been agreed to retire those particular programs anyway. Instead, ~~Starfire~~ Superstar was perched outside on the opposite side of the hospital from Cyberion. Meanwhile, ~~Raven~~ Pride was following after them as a cluster of shadow.

“Guys, I’m picking up chatter from the bugs,” said Cyberion.

“Like what?” asked Nightwing, ignoring the suspicious glances of hospital staff.

“It’s Animorph voices,” said Cyberion. “But they’re talking about hooking up a whirlpool?”

Nightwing and Changeling exchanged glances. “Uh, Superstar?” Changeling asked. “Any input on that?”

“What is a whirlpool?” asked Superstar.

“It’s sort of like a small swimming pool,” said Nightwing. “Or bathtub.”

“Then that has nothing to do with Yeerks,” Superstar decided. “Human pools are chlorinated, which burns our skin.”

Something seemed off to Nightwing. “I think we better check it out anyway. Cyberion, do you know where they are?”

“The bugs picking it up are in the east wing. Take the next right. It’s a few halls from there,” Cyberion instructed, and Nightwing, Changeling, and Pride took off in that direction.

Right. Past one hall. Staff were starting to point. Past another hall and a nurses’ station, where a nurse was on the phone and glaring at them. Yeah, they were definitely caught. They went ahead and dropped the holograms to make clear _which_ heroes were attacking. (Definitely not the Teen Titans.) Just as the third hall came up, Cyberion relayed, “They found the pool! Jake just said ‘Well, wiping out a hundred or so Yeerks might be a good way to start’!”

Changeling said things he shouldn’t have, and Nightwing started running in a manner more appropriate of when lives are literally depending on it. “Cyberion, which-- Nevermind,” Nightwing said as two humans in labcoats rushed inside a room, only for a wolf to knock one immediately out, jumping on their chest.

“Pride, humans! Changeling, wolf!” Nightwing ordered, and Pride’s shadows disappeared from their heels, reappeared in the doorway, and swallowed up the humans before disappearing again. Changeling leapt at the wolf, transforming into a lion mid-leap and tackling it to the ground. Nightwing ran inside as though running toward Ax, who was then just to the left of the door, but he grabbed the door frame at the last second and swung himself in to the right instead. He felt the wind of Ax’s blade just barely missing him.

Nightwing jumped onto the edge of the mini Yeerk pool which was, in fact, a converted jacuzzi. He promptly leapt off, tackled Jake, tumbled a moment, then slammed Jake’s shoulders back against the tile floor, knocking the wind out of him. “WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!” Nightwing raged as Changeling leapt over them both to tackle the still-morphing Rachel. The lion and half-elephant grappled, and Jake snarled back at Nightwing, showing off sharp tiger teeth.

Pride reappeared next to the pool where Marco was already trying to finish what Jake had started. “Stop him!” Nightwing ordered, just as Jake gained enough muscle to throw him off. Luckily, he had absolutely no idea how to fight, and Nightwing merely spun with the force, and aimed a kick at Jake’s head, which Jake only dodged enough to get his jaw grazed. Pride turned to Marco, took one step, and then was knocked out by Ax’s tail blade.

She fell into the Yeerk pool.

Marco swore and made a grab for her. Changeling turned toward them but was slammed into a wall by an almost-elephant Rachel. Ax’s tail blade sliced through the pool, spilling sludge and Yeerks everywhere. Both Nightwing and Jake stopped grappling in order to leap out of the way. They both turned and glared at Ax for completely different reasons.

More labcoat-clad humans spilled into the room, but a blur of red and white promptly grabbed them and pulled them out again, and Nightwing was eternally grateful that Superstar had acted fast enough to not see what had become of the mini-pool.

Marco reached forward to grab the unconscious Pride, but she disappeared in a whisp of smoke. He blinked down at the space where she’d been. “What?” he gasped.

And then everything was black.

“What is this?” Jake’s voice demanded.

“Don’t tell me we fell into her mindscape again!” Changeling cried somewhere nearby, but there was an echo-like distortion that made him difficult for Nightwing to locate.

“What do you mean again?” Nightwing demanded loudly.

<What do you mean ‘mindscape’?> Rachel added.

“Cassie?! Ax?! Marco?!” Jake called. “Is everyone here?!”

<I am here, Prince Jake,> said Ax.

“Prince?” Nightwing repeated, not for the first time. There still had not been an explanation for the title.

“I don’t make him call me that,” Jake retorted nearby. He sounded bitter and embarrassed enough about it that Nightwing believed him.

“I’m also in the pitch dark,” Marco called back.

Everyone waited.

“Cassie?” Jake called uneasily.

No reply.

“Does anyone know where Cassie is?” Nightwing called out.

“Butt out!” Jake snarled back.

“Hey, we’re here to protect _everyone_ ,” Nightwing snapped.

“How are you so utterly unaware that we are being _invaded_?!” Jake snarled, voice slightly distorted in a way that hinted more of morphing than the supernatural.

“How are you so utterly devoid of morality and unaware of what a _war crime_ is?!” Nightwing yelled back.

Before Jake could reply, however, there was a fluttering of wings all around them, causing them to cry out in surprise as thousands of feathers and the occasional claw grazed skin, as birds they couldn’t see took off everywhere. As the birds settled again, dozens and dozens of red eyes began to light up around them, casting just enough light to barely see each other. Nightwing, Changeling, and Ax stood near an elephant, a gorilla, and a tiger.

<This is so creepy,> Rachel whined, stepping backward slightly. <It’s a level of creepy that competes with the Yeerk Pool.>

Changeling transformed into an owl and fluttered to Nightwing’s shoulder. “Does anyone see Cassie or Superstar?” Nightwing asked.

Almost on cue, hints of light started to break in through the shadow. They brightened and brightened until the shadow shattered and evaporated. They were back in the room with the broken jacuzzi-pool. Superstar, fists and eyes glowing the brightest green that Nightwing had ever seen from them, floated in the doorway with Cassie just behind her, still a wolf but now with her head lowered and her tail tucked between her legs.

<I didn’t know you could get that bright,> Rachel said after a moment of tense silence between everyone.

Slowly and coldly, Superstar snarled, “I. am. very. angry.”

<Ah.>

Superstar looked around. “We need to find Pride quickly.”

Changeling flew out to a box above the Yeerk sludge and tiny flopping bodies, before transforming back. “Shouldn’t we try to gather them up?”

“I would love to,” Superstar drawled, her brightness only increasing enough that Nightwing had to glance away. It was almost bright enough to hide the tears trailing down her cheeks. “But someone got Pride infested by a random, unprepared Yeerk. Without control of her mind and abilities, they’re not only a danger to our secrets but to the safety of the city.”

Jake and Nightwing exchanged glances. “Think you can manage not to kill anyone until we’ve found her?” Nightwing sneered.

The tiger rolled its eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Starfire's abilities are stretched for plot reasons here, and it's unlikely that she'll be seen at a power level capable of taking on shadow!Raven much again, if at all. The logic used here is the intensity of Star & Phyzz's combined emotions in the situation, additional to his ability of fine control over her powers.


	4. Chapter 4

It didn’t take long to find Pride. They just had to follow the screaming. Out in the south wing, lights were flicking off in rows, equipment was being thrown around, and whole sections were disappearing into shadow. Rachel’s elephant barreled ahead only to be swallowed by shadow then rescued by Superstar’s furious light.

“Animorphs! Rescue any bystanders you can!” Nightwing ordered. There was a brief hesitation and exchanged glances, but soon Rachel and Cassie started demorphing, dodging into an empty hospital room as soon as Rachel was small enough and Cassie had hands. Jake, Marco, and Ax raced out in different directions, Jake clearing halls by roaring at people, and Ax and Marco clearing them by grabbing and shoving people.

Nightwing turned “Superstar! Work on containment and isolation! See if you can get through to her, but avoid being swallowed!” Superstar nodded and, glowing, flew down a less shadowed hall, forcing the shadows back. Nightwing grabbed Changeling before he could take off. “What did you mean about her mindscape?” he demanded.

Changeling blushed. “Uh, you know when I ticked her off at breakfast and you made me apologize?” he said. When Nightwing nodded, he continued. “Well, uh, I tried to avoid it, but Cy... berion made me. We went in her bedroom to find her, and I picked up a mirror. We ended up in her mindscape. The three of us had to fight our way out. Ra-- Pride was really weird.”

Nightwing took a deep breath to keep from yelling at him about it. It was a while ago, and, whatever had happened, the three of them had obviously worked past it on their own. “Cyberion, are you still listening?” he asked through the comlink.

“Yeah, I’m outside the south wing,” Cyberion replied. “I’m ready to break cover on order.”

“Don’t. I’m sending Changeling out to meet you. You two need to get that mirror and bring it back here,” Nightwing ordered, motioning for Changeling to go ahead and run out. “And use safety equipment! It won’t help anyone if you two get sucked in again!”

“Gotcha,” replied Cyberion.

A horse and what appeared to be the same wolf ran out of the hospital room Cassie and Rachel had run into. It took Nightwing a moment to realize that they must have switched who was the wolf so that Cassie could be the horse. He filed away the fact that they didn’t seem to all have the same morphs, then followed them into the fray.

－ －

Cyborg broke Raven’s door again, and Beast Boy ran inside. He’d almost grabbed the hand mirror off of Raven’s dresser when Cyborg grabbed him and pulled him back, glaring at him. “Really? Again?” Cyborg groused.

Beast Boy blushed when he realized what he’d almost done. “Oops?” he said.

Cyborg just shook his head, stepped forward, and picked up the mirror with a gloved hand and pair of tongs. “Go get the box,” he ordered, and Beast Boy leaped back out into the hall to grab up the heavy wooden box with magical insignias, one of many that Raven had designed for containment of magical items. She certainly could use a few in her own room.

－ －

“Pride!” Superstar called desperately, feet firmly on the ground but glowing like a beacon. Despite this, Pride’s shadows were beginning to encroach on her. “Our friend! I know you can hear us! Your Yeerk, too, perhaps! You must regain control! Yeerk, please trust her; only she can contain this power! You are too unprepared! Relinquish control!”

Instead, the shadows ejected a hospital bed that hit Superstar in the stomach and sent them flying backward.

Nightwing leapt to her side, but Superstar waved him off. “We’ll recover. Give us a moment,” they said.

On the other side of the hall, Nightwing heard a tiger growl and hiss uselessly. “RETREAT!” he called to them desperately. “There is nothing more you can do!”

<We’re not leaving her like this!> Jake snapped back.

<Don’t you have some kind of contingency plan for this sort of thing?> Marco demanded. < _You’re_ supposed to be the professionals! >

Nightwing almost asked what sort of person would have contingency plans against their own friends and allies. Then, he remembered exactly what sort of person would, and decided to keep his mouth shut.

“-ing! Can … us?” Cyberion’s voice came in over the comlink.

“Barely!” said Nightwing as Superstar finally shoved the bed off of herself to Star Bolt a shadowy tentacle away from Nightwing. Something gave a monstrous screech, and Nightwing tried not to think about it too hard. “You’re just within range!” he told Cyberion.

“Change… got the… Animorphs… orders?”

Nightwing glanced at Superstar. “I think they’re on the other side,” he said.

“Klokcist,” Superstar hissed, pulling to their feet while gripping their stomach in pain. They glanced at the wild shadows of Pride, then at Nightwing. Finally, they nodded and reached toward him. “Hold our hand,” they said.

Nightwing obeyed, somewhat confused.

Sueprstar closed their eyes and appeared to concentrate. They began to float off the ground. Their light dimmed momentarily, but then brightened again as they balanced the different intense emotions. Nightwing wondered, marveled by their ability, how they could manage joy at a time like this. Finally, Superstar grabbed him up in their arms and rocketed straight through the shadows.

Superstar’s intense light barely managed to glimmer in the midst of Pride’s shadow-self. Flapping wings beat at them. Claws and horns scratched their skin. They were even pelted by hail. The flight seemed to last ages, when, finally, Superstar burst through the other side, tumbling through the ground in front of Jake, Marco, Ax, Cyberion, and Changeling. Nightwing untangled himself from Superstar. He turned back to them, where they remained huddled on the floor. “Superstar? Superstar! Are you okay? Star!”

A pathetic whimper emerged, but finally, they began to unfold. They drew up on shaking legs, and the glow slowly began to return.

“Are you okay?” Nightwing asked again, staring up at them.

Superstar shook her head. “There is only so much pain that Phyzzon can take for me,” she explained. “He has taken on so much that he is finding it difficult to retain neural connection. I am also exhausting energetically and physically. Neither of us have total control of the emotions I need for directing my abilities.” She forced a weary smile for him. “But we are fine.”

Nightwing shook his head, but he couldn’t argue about it. Exhausted or not, they were still vital to the fight. He stood and turned to Cyberion. “Where is it?” he asked, and Cyberion presented a carved wooden box. He looked over those gathered. “Where are the rest of the Animorphs?” he asked.

<Cassie, Rachel, and Tobias are keeping Yeerks and police out of this side of the hospital,> Jake said.

Nightwing nodded. As long as they didn’t need rescuing from the shadows. He took the box from Cyberion and opened it, looking down at a gothic but otherwise normal-looking hand mirror. He turned the box around toward his friends. “Cyberion and Changeling, you’re her closest friends, and you’ve done this before. I’m sending you in. I’ll stay here to protect the mirror and back up Superstar.” He glanced to the tiger. “Can your team be trusted to back them up?”

The tiger glanced at the gorilla and Andalite. <Marco goes,> he decided. <Ax will stay here with you and Superstar. I’ll go back up the rest of my team.>

Nightwing was surprised. He’d expected Jake to jump at the chance to get his claws in another Yeerk. Of course, he hadn’t forgotten that Marco had also tried to turn the jacuzzi on, but there wasn’t a lot of options for backup. He nodded and held out the box.

Cyberion sighed. “Alright. Both of you grab hold of me,” he said, and Changeling and Marco both clutched an arm.

<Man, this has got to be the single stupidest thing I’ve ever done,> Marco whined as Cyberion reached out and took the mirror. Nothing happened.

“You’ve got to hold it close,” said Changeling. “Look really deep into it.”

“Yeah, because that was what you were doing when you set it off,” Cyberion snipped, but he did as Changeling described anyway. He looked closely at the mirror, seeing only himself, Changeling, and Marco the gorilla.

Superstar shattered another tentacle with a Star Bolt. “Friend, I would appreciate it if you would stop!” they called out to Pride irritably.

Cyberion groaned and glanced again at the mirror, only to find four red eyes staring back at him. He shouted in surprise and dropped it. Nonetheless, a massive, shadowy hand reached out and grabbed him, pulling him, Changeling, and Marco inside.

Aximili took several steps backward, all four eyes wide and locked onto the mirror. <That is… very illogical,> he said.

Nightwing shrugged. “Welcome to Earth.”


	5. Never Captured

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So on teentitans-morph.tumblr, I tend to title according to what books/episodes were involved. The first four of these chapters were titled "Capture Me" parts 1-4, because they were based only on The Capture. However, because the fifth chapter has elements from Nevermore, it had a different title -- "Never Captured." Since they're all part of the same plot, I decided not to separate them on AO3.

The resultant vortex spat Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Marco, still in gorilla morph, out onto a large, floating rock in a dark space full of large floating rocks and gleaming red stars. The vortex disappeared, and Marco pulled himself to his feet. <Man, where _are_ we? > he said.

Cyborg stood and checked his arm. “We’re still at the hospital,” he said. “It’s a pocket dimension. We’re still located wherever the mirror is located.”

Beast Boy looked down at himself. “Hey! My hologram doesn’t work!”

Cyborg shrugged. “I guess she’s the only one who can use illusions in here,” he guessed.

<This is an illusion?> asked Marco. Cyborg and Beast Boy glanced at him, then each other, then him again. In unison, they shrugged. <Awesome,> said Marco. He glanced around. <So now what?>

Cyborg shrugged again. “Now we start walking.”

Marco glared at him. <Walking? We’re on a floating rock in spa--> But, at that moment, other floating rocks began moving toward them, coalescing into a path forward. <Nevermind,> said Marco. <I will never doubt you again.>

“Yeah, you will,” said Cyborg, heading down the path.

<Yeah, I will,> Marco admitted. He followed them down the path, looking around at the “Halloween in Space” staging. <What is this place?> he asked them.

Again, Cyborg shrugged. “It’s Raven’s mindscape. It’s where she goes when she meditates. Collect her thoughts. Put all her emotions in neat little boxes.”

“Those were not neat little boxes,” Beast Boy interrupted.

“ _I know that._ I was being metaphorical,” Cyborg snipped. He glanced back at Marco. “Anyway, other than that, we don’t know. We thought maybe it was where she was from, but she likes to keep most things private.”

“Turn baaaack,” warned a red-eyed bird with the voice of a small child. “Turn baaaack.”

“Ignore those,” said Beast Boy.

Marco shivered anyway. <And you trust someone like that?> he asked.

Beast Boy turned and glared at him, but Cyborg sighed heavily. “Trusting someone like that doesn’t come easily,” he admitted. “But she has more than earned it, which, admittedly, she shouldn’t have had to in the first place. Whatever problems she has, she still does everything possible to be the best of us, and she takes on a load of stress and troubles because of it. So yeah, I trust her. Even all confused and shadowed up, I’d still put my life in her hands before anyone else’s, any day.”

“Besides,” said Beast Boy, “we’ve seen what you do. Do you really think you’re in a place to judge how trustworthy someone is?”

“Turn baaaaaaaack.”

Marco’s eyes narrowed. <Have you ever had your bowels ripped out of your belly or been set on fire?> he asked.

Beast Boy was forced to admit that he had not.

<Then shut up.>

Cyborg sighed again. “Look, we’re not here to fight each other. We need to find Raven and the Yeerk. For the rest of the mission, let’s just have a rule of ‘if you can’t say anything nice, keep it to yourself,’ okay?”

Beast Boy said nothing, but hurried forward along the path.

“Hey guys!” a cheerful voice greeted them. “What are you doing down there?”

The boys spun around but saw no one around them. “Uh, that was pink Raven, right?” asked Beast Boy.

<Pink Raven?> Marco asked.

“There’s a lot of Ravens here,” Cyborg explained.

<Right,> said Marco. <Well, where did you find her last time?>

Beast Boy shrugged again and explained, “We were hanging off a-- Oh.”

Suddenly, the world inverted, and Marco barely grabbed the ledge in time, while Cyborg had to grab Marco’s leg, and Beast Boy turned into a bird, flew to the top of the path, which had formerly been the bottom of the path, then transformed again into another gorilla and helped pull them up. All while Raven, clad in a pink cloak and pink leotard and pink shoes, giggled at them. “You’re so si-si-silly!” she exclaimed.

Cyborg paused in climbing over the side of the pathway. “Uh… did she just stutter?" He looked to Beast Boy. "She didn’t stutter last time, right?”

Raven laughed like he’d just told the funniest joke, but there was an odd sort of clicking sound mixed in with the laughter. It sounded sort of like a dolphin or a bat.

The boys exchanged glances, then Marco and Beast Boy helped pull Cyborg up the rest of the way. Once on his feet, Cyborg approached the giggling girl carefully. “Raven, are you okay?” he asked.

When she looked up, she wasn’t her anymore. She was human, masculine, about Cyborg’s age and height, with dark brown hair and dark brown eyes and handsome features, still wearing a lot of pink. “Who’s Raven?” the new form asked Cyborg.

Cyborg took a step back in surprise. “Uh…”

“This did _not_ happen last time,” Beast Boy insisted.

But Marco was gaping. <Tom?> he asked hesitantly.

The person who looked like Tom somehow managed to answer “yes,” “no,” and “I don’t know” all at the same time.

Marco just shook his head. <Okay, this is totally creepy, and I want to go home.>

Tom/Raven tilted its head, glowing red eyes blinking at them in confusion, and repeated, “Home?”

Suddenly, they were on a totally different landscape. It was muddy grey and dark red right up to the horizon, spotted with long, spiky tufts of grass and low, wide shrubs. The sky overhead was a sick sort of green with constant eruptions of lightning rippling across it like an electric heartbeat. Beast Boy promptly transformed into a blue heron.

“This ain’t what happened last time!” Cyborg insisted, trying to yank one leg out of the muck while the other leg only sank further in. “This isn’t anything like Raven!”

Beast Boy hopped over to a shrub, sat on it, and changed back. “Maybe she’s having a nightmare?”

“Raven doesn’t _have_ nightmares,” Cyborg insisted.

Marco looked around, found a rock, and scrambled over as quickly as he could. He turned and reached out for Cyborg’s hand. As he began pulling him up, a ten-foot-long tongue erupted from the ground, waived in a circle, the lashed itself right at Cyborg. “YAH!” Cyborg shouted, trying to scramble out of the way as Marco struggled to pull him up onto the rock. But the tongue wrapped around Cyborg’s leg and started pulling him toward the hole in the ground.

“Oh no! Nononono! MARCO! BB! DO SOMETHING!” he yelled in terror, but Marco was only pulled off of the rock after him.

Beast Boy leapt off of the shrub and transformed into a crocodile, grabbing hold of the thick, dark red tongue in his massive jaw. But it was like grabbing thick rubber. No wound was made, and it didn’t even seem to feel it. Despite all his angry thrashing, he was only pulled along toward the hole in the earth.

Cyborg raised his arm, trying to switch it out to his Sonic Cannon, but the workings were clogged with mud. They were almost at the hole now, and his only hope was that he thought he might not fit down it.

SCHLICK!

“AH-HAH!” a green-clad Rave shouted, flipping a massive scythe in preparation for another strike as the half of the tongue latched around Cyborg’s leg lolled pathetically.

“Ew! Ew! Ew!” Cyborg shouted, jumping up and trying to shake the tongue off. Beast Boy let go of it and transformed back into a heron.

SHLOOP! What was left of the tongue popped back into its recess, much to the disappointment of Green Raven. Ignoring her, Marco grabbed the tongue’s remains and pulled them off of Cyborg with his huge gorilla fists. When he tossed the remains aside, a different tongue shot out of another hole, snatched them, and pulled them away out of sight.

<I think I’m going to puke,> said Marco.

Beast Boy shifted back to his base form and turned to Raven. “Where are we?” he asked her.

Raven blinked at him innocently. “Everyone carries a bit of home with them,” she replied in an entirely different, masculine voice.

“ _This_ is where you’re from?” Cyborg asked.

She looked around with the expression of someone just beginning to wake from a daydream. “No…” she said quietly. “No, not this…”

Marco approached her carefully. <Raven, do you know what’s happening?>

“Not Raven,” she said, stepping forward. With each step, metal grates appeared, sliding out across the mud and eventually erecting themselves into gleaming walls. “And, no, I don’t,” she admitted.

Then, she started gaining height. Six, then seven feet tall. Blades and horns erupted from her joints, along her spine, and on top of her head. Her muscles bulked up, green scales spread across her skin as her costume faded away, and her neck stretched out.

The Hork-Bajir glanced at the scythe in its fist and twirled it, somehow managing to turn it into a Dracon beam. The Hork-Bajir turned back to them and gave as much of a vicious grin as that beak would allow. “Getting the idea, though,” it said.

－ －

Superstar was momentarily distracted from her struggle to keep up a wall of light, all while trying to shout sincerities at the shadowy abyss, when Changeling, Cyberion, and Marco were all ejected suddenly from the mirror on the floor several yards away. To the surprise of Superstar, Ax, and Nightwing, Pride’s shadow-self didn’t take advantage of the brief weakening in the shield. Instead, the shadows began to recede.

Superstar ran forward toward the receding shadows, while Ax and Nightwing ran back to those by the mirror. <Are you harmed?> Ax demanded worriedly.

Marco pushed to his feet and looked around groggily. That’s when he saw the receding shadows. <YEERK!> he shouted, pointing. <THE YEERK WON! STOP IT!>

Nightwing didn’t hesitate. He knew exactly what Ax was going to do, and he spun on his heel to do it first. He ran toward Superstar and Pride, boots pounding against shattered tile and scattered debris, and he could hear hooves charging after him. No, he couldn’t risk it. He couldn’t trust them. He shoved a hand into one of his belt pockets and threw the smoke pellets at the floor.

Soon, a cloud of smoke erupted behind him. He heard the Andalite cry out in alarm, the sound of skidding, and then a small crash with a hospital cart. Nightwing kept running until he was upon Superstar and Raven, the last bit of shadow receding.

Superstar held up a hand, and Nightwing skidded to a stop just a few yards from them. They waited with their breaths held.

Finally, Raven blinked awake, looked around, and spotted them. She pulled herself to her feet, then looked at them, apparently waiting for them to give her some kind of cue.

<Nice job, _ally_ ,> Marco snarled, pulling a limping Ax through the dissipating smoke as Cyberion and Changeling hurried ahead, before slowing to a stop.

“Is she okay?” asked Cyberion asked uncertainly, and Nightwing turned to Raven again.

She grinned nervously. “Yeah,” she said. “Peachy!”

Superstar punched her in the jaw hard enough to knock her out, quickly grabbing the falling body. Slowly, they sank to the floor, all light and levity disappearing from Superstar. They clutched Raven’s body tightly. “We should get her somewhere where that she can be safe for three days,” they whispered.

Nightwing’s eyes widened in shock, but Changeling was confused. “Why three days?” he asked before Cyberion punched him in the arm.

“The _Yeerk_?” Cyberion hissed at him.

“Oh.” And then Changeling realized what they were referring to. “Wait, what? No! Why would you say that?

“Starfire… Phyzzon…” Nightwing said delicately. “That… I mean it’s possible we can work something out…”

<Are you _kidding_ me right now?! > Marco demanded, and Ax’s tail blade went up, but Cyberion charged his cannon, and they relaxed slightly, distrusting eyes still on the two Controllers.

“It is possible,” Superstar muttered. “But we must prepare for the worst.” They picked Raven’s body up gently, cradling it in their arms, and stood. They peered around at the destroyed hospital. “This cannot happen again,” they said gravely.

－ －

A few days later, Jake was walking home from school when he spied a girl sitting on a low wall. She looked kind of like Rachel, but with red hair down to her butt and weird bangs and, well, a different "dress size," as Rachel had once put it. She watched him with neon green eyes.

Jake glanced around to see if anybody was watching, then approached her warily. “Which one of you is it?” he asked.

“Phyzzon is the one who wishes to speak to you,” said Starfire. “But I can relay the message, if you do not wish to speak directly.”

Jake crossed his arms in front of him. “What message is that?”

Starfire shifted nervously on the wall, then said, “The Yeerk that joined Raven… Your brother had been his previous host.”

Jake glowered at her. “Yeah, Marco said.”

“His name is Temrash one-one-four,” she said.

“I really do not care,” Jake snapped. Then, “Did you say ‘is’?”

Starfire shrugged. “He is currently sharing Phyzzon’s portable pool, and, no matter what agreements may or may not be reached, will be kept where he cannot possibly endanger our teams, the public, or the progress of the war.”

Jake didn’t have anything to say that. Everyone was being kept safe, and yet that didn’t change the fact that Jake still wanted to--

“Phyzzon would like you to know that he understands why you want to kill them.”

Jake looked at her in surprise, but quickly covered it up. “He does?” he said.

Starfire nodded. “What was done to your brother, to countless other hosts, is abhorrent. He has felt the same way toward others that endangered and held captive his kin.”

Jake narrowed his eyes. “Held captive?” he snarled.

Starfire looked away. “It is not a comparable circumstance. Not really. We understand that. The point is that wanting to kill in retribution is not immoral. It is normal. It is understandable. But the choice to kill _is_ immoral. And you should listen to those who have done it before. To those who have fought far longer than you. Because you will have to live with it, Jake Berenson, that you are an immoral person.”

Jake sighed and continued past her. “Yeah, great, thanks.”

But she reached out and stopped him, hopping off the wall. “That is not all.”

Jake groaned. “Look, I know what you think of us, but it’s not like we don’t talk about this, okay? It’s not like every time we go in that we don’t know that we are arbitrarily choosing one life over another. It’s not like we don’t know that valuing human life over Hork-Bajir or Taxxon lives is totally because _we’re_ human and biased. But this is a human war on a human planet, and that is always going to be where we draw the line. Get in the way between us and a safe humanity, and we will smash you. Period. End of story. And I just cannot afford to care about what that makes me. Not while _humans_ suffer and die.”

Starfire blinked at him, taken aback. “I just wanted to give you this,” she said, holding out a small external drive for a computer.

Jake looked down at it. “What is it?” he asked.

“It is a small extern--"

“No, I mean…” Jake shook his head. “What’s on it?”

“Your brother’s memories,” said Starfire. “As many as Raven was able to give us.”

Jake snatched the drive out of her hands. Then, he just stared at it, disbelieving. He looked back at Starfire. “Why?” he said.

She frowned slightly. “They are not pleasant. And simply giving them away, not somehow consulting him… that is against his privacy. But…” Her frown deepened. “We think it would be lonely… to be so isolated. So incapable of communication. We suppose that he may want this. To speak to you, in some way. For someone, anyone, to know what has happened. In the end… I suppose our stories are all that is left of us.”

Jake shoved the drive in his pocket. "They are  _not_ all that is left of Tom," he said. Then, he left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The scythe is not ever one of Raven's weapons, as far as I am aware. It's appearance here is a reflection of Temrash's influence on her mindscape. The Yeerk obsession with Andalites has given her an Andalite weapon within the mindscape.


End file.
